System of making waistbands with crimped belt loops, labels and tickets

ABSTRACT

A method of making waistbands for pants and other garments wherein a series of waistband panels are joined together in endto-end relationship to form a continuous series of waistband panels, a continuous band of facing material is fed into abutting relationship with one edge of the series of panels and is continuously rocaped to the series of panels. The panels are marked and belt loop material is fed in a continuous strip toward the panels, cut to proper length, the lengths are crimped and folded at their ends and sewn to the panels in positions corresponding to the markings. Labels are sewn to the facing material at positions corresponding to the ends of the panels, sales tickets are basted to waistband panels, the panels are separated and the facing material is cut at positions adjacent the ends of the waistband panels alternately with a straight cut extending across the facing material and with a Y-shaped cut to remove a portion of the facing material.

United States Patent [191 Hunter, Jr. et a1.

[ SYSTEM OF MAKING WAISTBANDS WITH CRIMPED BELT LOOPS, LABELS AND 211Appl. No.: 297,476

Related US. Application Data [60] Division of Ser. No. 097,489, Dec. 14,1970, Pat. No. 3,710,398, which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No.851,986, Aug. 21, 1969, Pat, No. 3,562,817.

[52] US. Cl. ll2/12l.27, 2/271, 156/443,

223/1, 270/61 R, 161/99 [51] Int. Cl. D05!) 23/00 [58] Field of Search1l2/l2l.27, 121.26,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,144,084 H1939 Resenthal270/61 R 2,146,934 2/1939 Burkey 270/61 R 2,158,144 5/1939 Oskow 270/61R 2,744,844 5/1956 Wogd Jr. et ah, l 5 6 L2 2:/' X 2,964,312 12/1960Schmidt ..270/61 R [1 1 3,752,099 1451 Aug. 14, 1973 PrimaryExaminer-James R. Boler Attorney-George M. Thomas [57] ABSTRACT A methodof making waistbands for pants and other garments wherein a series ofwaistband panels are joined together in end-to-end relationship to forma continuous series of waistband panels, a continuous band of facingmaterial is fed into abutting relationship with one edge of the seriesof panels and is continuously rocaped to the series of panels. Thepanels are marked and belt loop material is fed in a continuous striptoward the panels, cut to proper length, the lengths are crimped andfolded at their ends and sewn to the panels in positions correspondingto the markings. Labels are sewn to the facing material at positionscorresponding to the ends of the panels, sales tickets are basted towaistband panels, the panels are separated and the facing material iscut at positions adjacent the ends of the waistband panels alternatelywith a straight cut extending across the facing material and with aY-shaped cut to remove a portion of the facing material.

6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures 2 Sheets-Sheet l Patented Aug. 14, 19733,752,099

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 SYSTEM OF MAKING WAISTBANDS WITH CRIMPED BELT LOOPS,LABELS AND TICKETS CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION Thisapplication is a division of appliation Ser. No. 097489, filed Dec. I4,1970, now US. Pat. No. 3,710,398, which is a continuation-in-part ofapplication Ser. No. 851,986, filed Aug. 21, 1969 entitled Method ofMaking Waistbands, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,562,817.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION are cut from the same portion of material sothat the various garment parts of the assembled pant leg and its matingpant leg will be color coordinated. Care must be taken in the handlingand connection of the garment parts to ensure that the proper belt loopsand waistband panels are attached to the correct pant leg, and variousprocedural steps have been developed for organizing and handling thegarment parts as they pass through their necessary procedures ofcutting, folding, and sewmg.

In the manufacture of waistbands it has been customary to assemble thevarious waistband components individually and by hand; that is, whilesewing machines are utilized to actually form the stitches in theassembling process, many of the steps of placement, handling, foldingand cutting of the garment parts have been done by hand. Of course, thehand assembly method requires a large number of machine operators andgarment piece handlers, whichis expensive and complicates the colorcoordinating of the garment parts. In a typical process the waistbandpanels which form the exterior portion of the waistbands of pants are Ina high speed garment fabricating process, these and the various othermanual handling procedures are onerous, cumbersome, and the operatorsfrequently make mistakes that result in faulty garment parts, which ifdiscovered and discarded destroy the color coordination procedures, orif not discovered result in an imperfect garment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Briefly described, the present inventioncomprises a method of making waistbands for pants or the like, whichcomprises joining waistband panels in end-toend relationship andattaching the facing, labels, belt loops and sales tickets to the panelswhile in their l5 joined relationship, and subsequently cutting thefacing individually attached to a continuous band of waistband facingmaterial with a rocap seam. The waistband panels are usually alternatelyarranged in abutting and in overlapping relationship with respect toeach other when attached tothe facing material, so that when the facingmaterial is cut to form individual waistband sections, alternate ones ofthe waistband panels extend beyond the ends of the waistband facingmaterial in the portion thereof which ultimately forms the outer flap ofthe fly of the pants, so that the waistband panel can be folded behindthe facing material without creating a large bulk of material in thisarea. This procedure requires the operator to fold back a predeterminedlength of waistband panel material of alternate ones of waistband panelswhen forming the rocap seam, and to insert the following waistbandpanels between the layers of the continuous facing material and thefolded back portion of the waistband panels. The labels and belt loopsmust be individually handled and attached to the continuous facingmaterial and waistband panels, and the sales tickets are usuallyattached to the waistband when the entire garment has been completed.

After the various items have been attached to the waistband sections,the sections must be cut away fromone another by cutting through thecontinuous facing material at the ends of the waistband panels, and theindividual waistband sections must thenbe stacked in proper order forattachment to the corresponding pant legs.

material and separating the waistband panels from each other. The beltloops are crimped adjacent their ends and the lower ends are folded overand cemented to the main portion of the belt loop. The upper crimped endis sewn to the waistband panel and the crimp forms a natural fold in thebelt loop when the belt loop is folded down for attachment at its lowerend to the waistband panel. In order to create an overlying relationshipbetween the waistband panel and its attached facing material inalternate ones of the waistband sections, the facing material is cutwith a straight line out across its length at alternate ends of thewaistband panels and is cut with a Y-shaped cut at the other alternateends of the waistband panels to remove the facing material in thevicinity of the outer fly portion of the waistband.

Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide a method of makingwaistband for pants or similar garments which is fully automated,requires virtually no manual steps, reduces the frequency of imperfectgarment production, increases the speed of garment production, andproduces uniform garment parts.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent upon reading the following specification, when takeninto conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of aportion of a waistband section, with portions thereof folded back forclarity.

FIG. 2 is a progressive schematic illustration of the method of makingwaistbands.

FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 are progressive schematic illustrations of the methodof cutting, crimping, folding and cementing the belt loops.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now in more detail tothe drawing, in which like numerals indicate like parts throughout theseveral views, FIG. I shows a waistband 10 for pants or similargarments, which comprises an outer waistband panel 11 and the innerfacing 12. Inner facing 12 comprises two basic sheets of material, innersheet 14 and stifiening sheet 15. Inner sheet 14 is arranged so that itnormally is placed adjacent the body of the wearer, while stiffeningsheet- 15 is placed outwardly of the wearer from inner sheet 14, betweeninner sheet 14 and waistband panel 1 I. The lower edge of stiffeningsheet 15 is received in a U-shaped fold of tape 16. Inner sheet 14 islap-folded at 18 in the vicinity of the upper edges of U-shaped tape 16,and both upper edge 19 and lower edge 20 of inner sheet 14 are foldedinwardly adjacent stiffening sheet 15. Stiffening sheet 15, the upperedges of U-shaped tape 16, lower edge 20 of inner sheet 14 and thelap-fold 18 of inner sheet 14 are all sewn together by seam 21 whichholds the lower portions of the sheets of inner facing 12 together.

Outer waistband panel 11 is inserted between the upper edges ofstiffening sheet and inner sheet 14 and these panels are sewn togetherby seam 22. This seam is called a rocap, and outer waistband panel 11 isfolded over the upper protruding edge of stiffening sheet 15. Belt loops24 are sewn to outer waistband panel 11, labels are sewn to the insidesurface of inner facing 12, and sales tickets are sewn to outerwaistband panel 11 between the belt loops, in a manner described morefully hereinafter.

Outer waistband panels 11 are cut from the same mass of material fromwhich the pant legs and belt loops are cut, and as is shown in FIG. 2,are passed in an orderly manner through a predetermined path 25 forprocessing into assembled waistband sections. The individual waistbandpanels 11 are marked at 26 by marking pins 28 with a clear ink that isvisible under ultraviolet light. Marks 26 are placed at spaced intervalsalong the lengths of waistband panels 11 which correspond to theultimate. placement of the belt loops 24.

Waistband panels 11 are further moved through path 25 and sewn tOgetherin an end-to-end relationship by sewing machine 29. As the waistbandpanels 11 are further processed, inner facing material 12 is receivedfrom a roll or similar supply 30 and guided into abutting relationshipwith one edge of the series of waistband panels 11. The flaps of innerfacing 12 are spread and the continuous edge of the waistband panels 11is inserted between the flaps. Sewing machine 31 sews inner facing 12 towaistband panels 11 with a recap seam which forms a continuous supply ofwaistband sections.

Seam feeling mechanism 32 engages waistband panels 11 with feeler 34 asthe waistband panels pass along path 25. When a seam 35 formed by sewingmachine 29 is detected by feeler 34, a label 36 is passed from a supplyof labels 37 into position adjacent inner facing 12, and sewing machine38 sews label 36 onto inner facing 12. The arrangement is such thatlabel 36 is positioned in a location which is spaced from the positionof the detected seam 35, and one label is applied to inner facing 12 forevery other waistband panel 11.

As the continuous supply of waistband sections proceeds further alongpath 25, an ultraviolet light 40 illuminates the marks 26 previouslyapplied by marking devices 28, and detector 41 detects the marks andfunctions to apply belt loops 24 to the waistband panels 11. Belt loops24 are formed by connecting belt loop panels 42 in end-to-endrelationship by sewing machine 44, feeding the belt loop panelscontinuously about a stifi'ening tape 45, and sewing the belt looppanels about the tape with sewing machine 46. The continuous supply ofbelt loop material 48 is fed toward path 25 through which the continuousseries of waistbands are being passed. Feeler device 47 detects theslight break in continuity in the length of the belt loop material 48 todetermine the ends of the belt loop panels 42, causing cutting mechanism49 to cut the continuous supply of belt loop material 48 at the ends ofthe belt loop panels. As the supply of belt loop material 48 continuestoward path 25, it passes beneath crimping blades 50 and 51 and cuttingblade 52. As is illustrated in FIGS. 3-5, cutting blade 52 functions tocut the belt loop material 48 in the proper lengths to form the beltloops 24, and crimping blades 50 and 51 function to form a crimp at theends of the adjacent belt loops. Adhesive 53 is applied to the lower endof each belt loop at its crimp by the application of adhesive throughconduit 54 to crimp blade 51. The adhesive is wiped from the crimp bladeonto the belt loop. When crimp blade 51 is withdrawn from the belt loop,clamp element 55 is moved from the position illustrated in FIG. 3 to theposition illustrated in FIG. 4 to squeeze or press the crimped end ofthe belt loop closed to form a fold in the belt loop. The squeezing orpressing of the end of the belt loop in this manner causes the adhesive53 to hold the fold in the belt loop. Crimping blades 50 and 51 andcutting blade 52 are moved toward and away from female die 56 and clampelement 55 moves laterally within the die to perform its folding orsqueezing function.

As belt loop 24 is moved further toward path 25 and applied to thecontinuous waistband material, sewing machine 60 sews the crimpedunfolded end or upper end of the belt loop to the waistband panel 11.This crimping, folding and sewing function is repeated each timedetector 41 senses the presence of a mark 26 on the waistband panels 11.

The crimp formed in the upper end portion 71 of each belt loop is spacedfrom the fold 72 in the belt loop at an equal distance in each beltloop, so that when the belt loop is applied to the waistband panel, itwill tend to fold at its crimp, and the lower end of the belt loop willthen be disposed at a prescribed distance from the upper end thereof.Thus, each belt loop will be formed with a uniform length and willinclude a central body portion 74, crimped end 71, folded end andadhesive 53 applied between folded end 75 and central body portion 74,and the subsequent operation of tacking the lower folded end of the beltloop to the waistband panel will be greatly simplified. Furthermore,since the initial sewing of the upper inner end of the belt loop to thewaistband panel is done automatically, all of the belt loops will beuniformly located on the waistband panel.

To assist in the crimping function, the crimping blades 50 and 51 can beheated if desired to assure that a definite crimp is created in the beltloop.

As the continuous series of waistband sections move further along path25, tickets 57 are applied to the waistband panels 11, and sewingmachine 58 functions to form a loose stitch or basting stitch throughthe tickets and the waistband panels. Tickets 57 are sales ticketsfabricated of paste board, paper or similar material, and the garmentsize style and other identifying information is applied to the tickets.The basting stitch formed by sewing machine 58 allows the tickets to beeasily stripped from the garment by the purchaser.

As the continuous series of waistband sections move further along path25, cutting devices 61 and 62 operate to cut inner facing 12 atlocations corresponding to seams 35 of waistband panels 1 1. Cuttingdevice 61 operates to cut a straight cut across the length of innerfacing 12 at each seam 35 and through each seam 35, while cutting device62 functions to cut a slanted cut in inner facing 12 at alternate onesof seams 35. In this manner, straight cuts 64 and Y-shaped cuts 65 areformed in inner facing 12 and the waistband sections 68 are separatedfrom each other. The Y-cut 65 causes a piece of material 66 to beremoved from alternate ones of waistband sections 68. As the waistbandsections 68 continue to pass along path 25, they are formed in a stack69 where they can be transported to the vicinity of the pant legs fromwhich waistband panels 11 and belt loop panels 42 were originally cut,matched together, and formed into pairs of pants.

While marking devices 28 have been illustrated for the purpose ofapplying marks 26 to waistband panels 11 as the waistband panels passalong path 25, it should be understood that marks 26 can be applied towaistband panels 11 during the initial cutting process or be tween thecutting process and the point where waistband panels I] reach pant 25.Furthermore, while marks 26 have been disclosed as being of afluorescent liquid which is visible only under ultraviolet light, various other marks or indicia can be applied. For instance, the marks 26can be notches cut in the edge of waistband panels 11, holes, or can bemarks detectable by other detecting devices.

Cutting devices 61 and 62 which cut apart waistband sections 58 can becontrolled by seam feeling mechanism 32 or by a similar seam feelingmechanism (not shown) which is in closer proximity to the location ofthe cutting devices. Cutting devices 61 and 62 have been shown asoperating to cut alternate straight and Y-cuts across the breadth ofwaistband sections 68; however, cutting device 62 can be arranged to cutvarious different cuts in inner facing 12, as may be desired. Forinstance, Y-cut 65 can be a rectangular cut or any other shaped cut, toproperly form the fly fold of the pant. If a relatively stiff outer flyfold is desired, cutting mechanism 62 can be de-energized and the entireinner facing 12 can be used in the outer fly fold. On the other hand, ifa flexible outer fly fold is desired in the pant, the cut 65 made bycutting device 62 can be of a rectangular shape to remove a large amountof inner facing 12 from the vicinity of the fly fold.

While this invention has been described in detail with particularreference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood thatvariations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scopeof the invention as described hereinbefore and as defined in theappended claims.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus for forming waistband panels or the like, thecombination therewith of belt loop forming apparatus comprising cuttingmeans for cutting belt loop lengths from a supply of belt loop material,crimping means for forming a crimp in one end of the belt loop andfolding means for forming a fold in the other end of the belt loop.

2. The invention of claim 1 and wherein said folding means includesmeans for applying adhesive to the belt loop.

3. A belt loop comprising an elongated strip of material defining acentral body, a crimp adjacent one end thereof, the other end foldedback over a portion of the central body, and adhesive applied to thefolded portion thereof.

4. The belt loop of claim 3 and wherein the adhesive is applied to thefacing surfaces of said folded end and said central body.

5. Apparatus for forming belt loops or the like comprising means formoving a length of belt loop material along a path, cutting means forcutting the length of belt loop material into shorter lengths, crimpingmeans positioned on opposite sides of said cutting means for formingcrimps in the belt loop material, and adhesive applying means adjacentone of said crimping means for applying adhesive to the belt loopmaterial.

6. A method of forming belt loops or the like comprising passing alength of belt loop material along its length through a predeterminedpath, cutting the belt loop material into shorter lengths to form beltloops, crimping the belt loops at one of their ends, folding the beltloop at its other end, and applying an adhesive to the folded end of thebelt loop.

1. In an apparatus for forming waistband panels or the like, thecombination therewith of belt loop forming apparatus comprising cuttingmeans for cutting belt loop lengths from a supply of belt loop material,crimping means for forming a crimp in one end of the belt loop andfolding means for forming a fold in the other end of the belt loop. 2.The invention of claim 1 and wherein said folding means includes meansfor applying adhesive to the belt loop.
 3. A belt loop comprising anelongated strip of material defining a central body, a crimp adjacentone end thereof, the other end folded back over a portion of the centralbody, and adhesive applied to the folded portion thereof.
 4. The beltloop of claim 3 and wherein the adhesive is applied to the facingsurfaces of said folded end and said central body.
 5. Apparatus forforming belt loops or the like comprising means for moving a length ofbelt loop material along a path, cutting means for cutting the length ofbelt loop material into shorter lengths, crimping means positioned onopposite sides of said cutting means for forming crimps in the belt loopmaterial, and adhesive applying means adjacent one of said crimpingmeans for applying adhesive to the belt loop material.
 6. A method offorming belt loops or the like comprising passing a length of belt loopmaterial along its length through a predetermined path, cutting the beltloop material into shorter lengths to form belt loops, crimping the beltloops at one of their ends, folding the belt loop at its other end, andapplying an adhesive to the folded end of the belt loop.